Cavaliers-Pistons Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLOPosted Feb 01 2013 5:17PM

The Detroit Pistons are ready to welcome one veteran after saying goodbye to another, but Jose Calderon likely won't take the floor just yet.

Visa issues are expected to prevent Calderon from making his Detroit debut Friday night when the struggling Pistons try for a fifth consecutive victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.

Detroit (17-29) played like a distracted team Wednesday, falling 98-79 at Indiana for its second straight loss and fourth in five contests. Prior to the game, forwards Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye were traded to Memphis as part of a three-team deal that sent Rudy Gay to Toronto in exchange for Ed Davis and Calderon, who was then dealt to the Pistons.

"(Pistons president Joe Dumars) felt horrible that it had to be right before the game," coach Lawrence Frank said. "This is the tough part of the business."

While Daye hasn't lived up to being the 15th overall pick in 2009, Prince spent his entire career in Detroit since being selected 23rd in 2002. He averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 rebounds during his career as a key role player, and was the last link to the Pistons' 2003-04 championship team.

"Trading a player like Tayshaun Prince, who has meant so much to our organization and contributed to our championship success, is never easy," Dumars said in a statement.

However, Detroit receives some financial freedom by not having to pay the $15 million over the final two years of Prince's contract.

Calderon, meanwhile, has a $10.5 million deal that expires at the end of the season. His 11.1 points and 7.4 assists per game also provide a playmaking aspect the Pistons lack.

"We've always had a high value on Jose," Frank told the Pistons' official website. "He's a tremendous competitor. It gives us flexibility moving forward, gives other guys an opportunity and see how they step up."

Calderon, who left Spain to sign with Toronto in 2005, took the news of the trade hard.

"It's been my home for eight years," he said. "It's tough. The fans have been with me since Day 1."

The Spanish-born guard was at Detroit's practice facility Friday, but the team didn't have any specific word on when he'd be able to take the court.

That should be good news for Cleveland (13-33). Though Calderon had 10 points and five assists versus the Cavaliers on Saturday, he's averaged 14.2 and 9.8, respectively, in his last six games against them.

Even without their new addition, facing Cleveland could help the Pistons break out of a five-game slump in which they've averaged 88.6 points. They've allowed 106.8 per game in the last four.

The Cavaliers averaged 77.0 points on 34.2 percent shooting in dropping three straight to the Pistons before delivering a more competitive effort in a 104-97 home loss Dec. 8 in the most recent meeting. Highlighted by a 30-point performance in that contest, Detroit's Brandon Knight is averaging 23.0 and shooting 60.0 percent in six career games versus Cleveland.

Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving has totaled 47 points in his last two against the Pistons, but injuries have forced the second-year guard to miss the teams' last three meetings.

Under the weather, Irving went 5 of 17 from the field for 14 points in Tuesday's 108-95 loss to Golden State that snapped Cleveland's season-high, three-game winning streak. Irving, named an All-Star reserve, averaged 35.7 points and shot 61.2 percent in the previous three contests.

"I just wasn't there in terms of my mental focus," Irving said. "That's no excuse. I tried to play through it, but my normal energy wasn't there."

Teammate Tristan Thompson has averaged 17.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in the last seven games. He's posted double-doubles in the last two trips to Detroit.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Pistons rout Cavaliers 117-99

By NOAH TRISTERPosted Feb 01 2013 11:16PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Brandon Knight could tell the Detroit Pistons needed a little boost after the trade earlier this week that sent Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye to Memphis.

"Guys lost friends that day," Knight said. "Guys were thinking how the future will be. There's a lot of emotions there."

Two days after the deal, Knight and the Pistons were sharp Friday night in a 117-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pistons never trailed, despite playing without Jose Calderon - the man they acquired from Toronto in Wednesday's three-team deal. The Spanish-born point guard was unavailable to play because of visa issues.

Knight, also a point guard, might play off the ball more once Calderon is in the lineup.

"Great player - done a lot of good things over his career, and definitely a big help for us coming in," Knight said. "We'll get used to playing with one another and see how it works out."

Knight was a lottery pick two years ago, so Calderon's arrival won't necessarily mean a reduced role for the 6-foot-3 guard. He may be asked to become more of a scorer, though.

He made his first four shots Friday, and the Pistons opened an early 21-11 lead on a dunk by Monroe. Cleveland shot only 22 percent from the field in the first quarter. The Cavaliers finished at 40 percent.

Knight more than held his own against Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft - when Knight was taken eighth by Detroit.

"We came out soft, and we played that way for the whole game. I take full responsibility for that, because I didn't play with energy, and that trickles down to the rest of the team," Irving said. "I let things that happened in the game bother me, and I got disinterested and let the game get away from me. I can promise that won't ever happen again."

Tristan Thompson led Cleveland with 19 points.

Kyle Singler scored 20 points for the Pistons.

Detroit led 54-47 at the half and extended its advantage in the third quarter. Knight made a 3-pointer followed by a pair of free throws to make it 79-64. A jumper by Knight gave the Pistons their largest lead at 85-66 late in the quarter.

Detroit is 3-0 against Cleveland this season. Irving didn't play in either of the first two meetings, and now the Cavaliers are without center Anderson Varejao for the rest of the season.

Varejao was treated recently for a blood clot in his right lung.

Irving scored 14 points. Cleveland managed 20 offensive rebounds in each of the first two losses to the Pistons. Without Varejao, the Cavaliers had only 13 this time.

"That's the third time we've played that team, and they've played harder every time and they've been tougher every time. Maybe we need to go back to 2 1/2 or three-hour practices and run up and down the floor," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "I asked our guys if they were content being 13-34, because if they are, let me know and we can make some changes."

Cleveland had won three of four entering the game, and the Cavaliers had outscored each of those opponents in the fourth quarter. That streak ended Friday, when Detroit won the fourth 32-31.

Cleveland cut the deficit to nine at 99-90 in the fourth when C.J. Miles made a 3-pointer following a pair of missed free throws by Detroit rookie Andre Drummond. The Pistons took Drummond out, so the Cavaliers began fouling Charlie Villanueva intentionally. Villanueva went 3 of 6 from the line during that stretch, but Cleveland couldn't take advantage.

NOTES: Irving and Knight entered the game ranked one-two in the league among players under age 22 in assists per game. ... Detroit shot 23 of 43 on free throws.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Pistons 117, Cavaliers 99

THE FACTS: Brandon Knight had 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as the Detroit Pistons ended a two-game slide with a 117-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Rookie Kyle Singler had a career-high 20 points while Greg Monroe had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won all three meetings with their division rival. Tristan Thompson led the Cavs with 19 points but Kyrie Irving, the league's No. 6 scorer, was limited to 14.

QUOTABLE: "I try to keep it consistent no matter who I'm playing against but you definitely get up for somebody who came up in your own class and is a good player. It's not my job to see who I'm measured by, but the most important thing for myself is to try to reach my potential."-- Knight on his matchup with Irving. Knight was the No. 8 pick in the 2011 draft, while Irving was the top selection.

THE STAT: 2 ½ - 3. Cleveland coach Byron Scott was so upset with his team's performance that he threatened to run 2 ½ or 3-hour practices to get them to expend energy he's not seeing in the games. His team is ranked last in defensive field-goal percentage and allowed the Pistons to shoot 45 for 83 from the field. The Cavs also committed a season-high 33 fouls.

TURNING POINT: The Cavs never led but they were within five midway through the third quarter. Then, the Pistons pulled away with a 23-9 run to make it 85-66. Rodney Stuckey scored 10 of his 14 points during that stretch while Knight had seven.

QUOTABLE II: "Tonight, we did a good job of sharing the ball with each other. We were getting out on the break a lot more and if we had made our free throws, we would have won a lot bigger."-- Stuckey on Detroit's big offensive night.

HOT: Knight bounced back from two subpar efforts. He was held to seven points at Indiana and 10 points against Milwaukee earlier in the week. His scoring was efficient, as he made half of his field-goal attempts, and he reached double digits in assists for the first time since his season-best 12 against Orlando on Nov. 16. His board work was a bonus, as he grabbed more than he made in his four previous games combined.

NOT: Detroit just missed its season high of 119 points despite atrocious free throw shooting. It missed 23 of 43 attempts and actually shot better from the field (54.2 percent) than the foul line (53.5). The biggest culprits were Monroe (4 for 8), Andre Drummond (1 for 5) and Charlie Villanueva (3 for 8).

ROOKIE WATCH: Singler's previous high was 16 points, which he achieved three times. He started at small forward for the second consecutive time after long-time Piston Tayshaun Prince was traded to Toronto this week. Drummond had nine points and five rebounds while Cleveland center Tyler Zeller was limited to two points and two rebounds. Shooting guard Dion Waiters had just six points on 2-for-7 shooting and made four turnovers.

NOTABLE: Point guard Jose Calderon, acquired by the Pistons on Wednesday in a three-team deal, did not play because of visa issues. Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said Calderon would start when he's cleared to play and Knight would move to shooting guard. ... The Cavaliers begin a seven-game homestand against Oklahoma City on Saturday. Their next road game is Feb. 23 against Orlando. ... Cleveland played without reserves Luke Walton (personal reasons) and Daniel Gibson (sprained toe). ... Marreese Speights, who averaged 13 points in his first three games with Cleveland, contributed 17 points off the bench. ... Detroit had a 62-42 advantage in points in the paint.